Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY), a program of COA Youth and Family Centers, is a parent involvement, school-readiness program that helps parents prepare their two-, three-, and four-year old children for success in school and beyond. Peer mentors provide parents with a set of carefully developed curriculum including books and materials designed to strengthen their children’s cognitive skills, early literacy skills, and social/emotional and physical development.HIPPY empowers parents as primary educators of their children in the home and fosters parent involvement in school and community life. Parents and children read, play, and learn together every day in their homes and at monthly HIPPY Family Gathering Nights. NCJW-MKE wants to provide each HIPPY child with books and access to activities encouraging parent involvement. See volunteer dates below for ways to volunteer at family gathering nights!
Be a Volunteer for Family Gathering Nights
At monthly Family Gathering Nights, NCJW volunteers help children ages 2-5 (and their parents and siblings) with art and science projects, games, and other activities, serve dinner, read to children, etc. It is truly a fun and rewarding volunteer opportunity every second Monday from 5-7 pm during the school year, at one of COA’s two campus locations — either the Riverwest Center at 909 E Garfield Avenue, or the Amani Campus/Goldin Center, at 2320 W. Burleigh St, 53206.
This summer, we celebrated the end of the school year with an outdoor carnival for the families who had learned from HIPPY professionals all year round, and held a wonderful Graduation Ceremony for the 4-year-olds who finished the HIPPY program!
Stay tuned for the 2026-2027 HIPPY Family Gathering Nights — and mark your calendars to help out!
For information and to RSVP contact Margie Margolies (margie@margolies.com)
NCJW Volunteers also help with planning, program evaluation, publicity, fundraising, field trips, graduation, staff appreciation dinners, anniversary celebrations, winter wear and book drives, and other aspects of HIPPY. To support our annual book drive or the HIPPY Family Day Field Trips, click one of the links above.